


M'itu's Stray

by AlphinaudLover69



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: two warriors of light and how they started their story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:54:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23745667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlphinaudLover69/pseuds/AlphinaudLover69
Summary: Two miqo'te strays, and how they found a family with each other.
Kudos: 4





	M'itu's Stray

**Author's Note:**

> i started this awhile back, and decided to finish it on the 1 year of me starting ffxiv!  
> a passion project to me and my best friend's warrior of lights <3

M’itu wandered down the streets of Ul’dah once again. He had little to do these days, since sitting at the inn all day was never any fun. So he often took to the streets of Ul’dah to see what he could find. It honestly was nothing much, he mainly just looked to see what sort of people he would see that day, so that his scenery could change, even if just a little bit. Being eight, alone, and bored, in a city ever growing with refugees, there wasn’t much to do. 

He was headed through the back alleys of the Sapphire Exchange, his favorite place to be in this stupidly large city. It was always quieter back here, away from the hecticness of the markets, and no one tended to go back here due to the refugees and the like living here. He didn’t mind the refugees like other citizens of Ul’dah seemed to mind. His parents made sure to teach him not to judge people, and he also saw no point in being mean to them anyway. He may tend to have an abrasive personality and act rude, but he’s not an outright jerk. He genuinely cares for the most part, he’ll just never show that. He also was able to sit down and get a good view of the markets from this angle, where people couldn’t necessarily see him as they passed by, but he could see them. He hasn’t talked much to the folk who frequent these alleys, but neither have they to him, so he’s sure it’s a mutual relationship of indifference.

As he walked he started thinking about his parents again. He honestly couldn’t remember when they told him they’d be back, just that they would, and not to miss them too much. He had tried not to miss them at first, but as one moon became one year, he started to feel loneliness tug at his heart. It had been two years since they left for the frontlines, and one year since he had received any letters, but he’s sure they’ll be back soon. They had to be back soon.

He was startled out of his thoughts by a loud crash to his left. He jumped, his small black tail bushing up in surprise and fear, before whipping around to see what it was. There he saw what looked to be a young miqo’te child in a pile on the ground. They had short, pale brownish hair, which looked like a mess that hasn’t been brushed in weeks. Their clothes were baggy, ill fitting, and scuffed with dirt marks all over it. The outfit looked worn several days in a row without cleaning. He also couldn’t really tell whether the kid was a boy or a girl, so he just played it safe. The young miqo’te was looking at him, their eyes wide and unblinking. It was then he noticed the striking difference of color in the kid’s eyes. One was green, one was blue. He felt his tail and ears twitch self consciously, not sure what was there was to look at. Was the kid looking at  _ him _ ? And why did the miqo’te fall in the first place?

His questions were quickly answered as the other kid quickly stood up from the ground, still staring unblinkingly at M’itu. They lifted their hand and pointed a small stubby finger at him, and said “You!” 

M’itu looked behind him, confused, wondering what was the matter. He looked back at the kid, and then gestured at himself, flicking his ears back as he did so. “Me?” He questioned, wondering why this miqo’te was talking to him. 

The kid nodded, their brown hair bouncing along with their head. They were still pointing at M’itu. “Yeah, you! You’re a cat!” 

M’itu blinked, before deadpanning at the kid. “Yeah? So are you?” He didn’t know what this kid’s deal was. He was a miqo’te, that’s nothing special, there’s miqo’te’s all around.

“Yeah! I am! I’ve never seen one like you though.” The kid put their finger down and started walking towards M’itu. M’itu felt the small inclination of fight or flight instinct, but this kid looked young, and he could hardly imagine that they wanted to hurt him. If anything, he was more worried about having to hold a conversation.

The kid regarded him closely, looking up and down, and then started scrutinizing his face with a hand placed on their own chin. M’itu noticed that the kid only seemed to come up to about his chest. While he wondered how young this miqo’te was, the kid started trying to look behind M’itu. He whipped around, not sure what the kid was looking for, or about to do. Judging by the brown haired kid’s face though, they apparently saw what they were looking for.

“Your tail!” They yelled, waving their arms in excitement.

M’itu waited for them to elaborate, before realizing the kid wasn’t gonna follow up. “My tail?” He asked, not sure if he was going to like the answer.

“It’s small! Just like mine, see, look.” They turned around, sticking their butt out and wiggling their little brown puffy tail.

M’itu blinked again before saying, exasperated, “Well, yeah, that’s normal.” 

The kid whipped back around, almost slapping M’itu in the process. He took a small step back while the kid started yelling again. “Wait wait, WHAT? All other cat’s I’ve seen have had long tails! I felt so bad, ‘cos mine was so short, and I wanted to have a cool long tail too.” They ended off their sentence by pouting and crossing their arms.

M’itu scoffed. This kid didn’t know a thing at all about being a miqo’te, despite being one? It was pathetic, in a sense. He crossed his arms and scrutinized the kid. “How old are you, kid?” 

The kid stopped pouting, before holding out four fingers. “I’m four! But mama says I’m turning 5 soon!” They looked so happy to be sharing this information. M’itu was wondering why this kid was so trusting of strangers.

“Well, as you grow older, so will your tail.” He flicked his as he said it, reminded of the fact that his really wasn’t that long yet. But everything he knew about being a miqo’te told him it’d grow, so he tried not to feel too self conscious. 

The kid went full starry eyed, gasping and cooing. “Oh wooooowww!! That’s so cool, what else happens?” He looked up at M’itu earnestly, as if he held all the secrets in the world. Their ears were flicking joyfully at him, and M’itu wondered if the kid even knew their ears were doing it.

He scoffed again. He couldn’t answer all these kid’s questions when they had a parent right there. “Doesn’t your mama tell you all this stuff?” And if he sounded a bit biting, that’s not his fault. Sure, he misses his mom, but he’s not jealous of other kids' moms.

The kid put a hand up to their chin, and closed their eyes. “No um she’s uuuuhh… She's a hyur? Yeah I think that’s the name she told me. And I'm... a mi-coat-tee?” 

M’itu was, once again, reduced to a brief pause of silence. The kid’s mom was a hyur? That’s… interesting. You don’t see that around often. “It’s pronounced mi-co-tay.” He said offhandedly, as he pondered this kid’s existence.

The kid’s ears flicked forward as they gasped. “Yeah, that! That’s what I am! But Mama calls me her little kitty.” They smiled happily at the end of their sentence, not a care in the world. They smiled silently with their eyes closed for a few seconds, before gasping. “I’m Sami by the way! Sami’tan Jakknya!”

M’itu was brought out of his thinking by that. His ear flicked, and he blinked.  _ Wait, what?  _ M’itu didn’t know much about moon cat’s naming policies, just that they had numbers based on what order they were born. Wasn’t ‘tan ten?  _ At least I know that it means he’s a boy. _ His hyur mom must have named him that without knowing. Wait, where’s the kid’s- or, well, Sami’s- dad?

“Isn’t your dad a miqo’te?” At least one of his parents had to be one, right? Maybe he was adopted? Crap, what if he was adopted, and M’itu was just being a jerk. But why would a Hyur adopt a miqo’te child without knowing anything about raising one?

Sami’tan’s expression sobered up a little bit. “Yeah, he’s a… miqo’te,” He paused in the middle to try and get the word out properly, “but my mama says he died before I was born, so I never knew him.” 

M’itu felt chagrined.  _ Way to bring that up, jerk _ , he berated himself, before trying to shake it off. It’s not his fault the kid didn’t have a dad. Just like it’s not  _ his _ fault that his parents have been gone for so long.

M’itu blinked, not realizing he’d been silent, and never responded to the stuff about Sami’tan’s dad. He once again messed up and was a jerk to this four year old. “Sorry…” he grunted out, looking away from the kid’s earnest eyes. One was blue, and the other green, both bright and full of an earnestness that made him almost uncomfortable. He wondered what Sami’tan saw in his eyes.

Sami’tan was silent for a moment, before speaking again, a cheeky tone in his voice. “It’ll be okay- as long as you tell me your name.”

M’itu whipped his head back up. Sami’tan had a small smile playing on his lips, his eyes still looking earnestly hopeful, with a playful energy hidden behind them.  _ Oh, so it was like that?  _ As much as M’itu liked to keep his existence on a downlow, he really couldn’t find a way out of this one.  _ Well played, kid. _

“I’m M’itu Tia.” He coughed after saying it, not particularly liking the way his name sounded, if he was honest. 

Sami’tan gasped, as if this was the coolest thing he’d heard in awhile. Well, besides learning his tail was gonna grow, apparently. Sami’tan shoved his hand out in front of him, almost hitting M’itu in the chest in the process. He took a little step back as Sami’tan started speaking rather… loudly. “Hi M’itu! Let’s be friends!”

At this, M’itu barked out a laugh. “Yeah, nice try, kid.” He turned around, slouching and putting his hands in his pockets as he heard the cat boy make an array of noises behind him. Sure, he may have accidentally been a jerk, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t also be one on purpose. He started to walk away from the kid, glad this small bump in his life was over.

“Wait! Wait, wait.” Sami’tan started shouting, before running up in front of M’itu. M’itu let out a deep sigh, before looking down at the kid, scrutinizing him. Sami’tan looked worried, his big eyes looking back up at M’itu, pleading. “You’re the only other cat I’ve seen who’s a kid.” He switched back to using cat in his franticness. 

“So? That doesn’t mean we gotta hang out.” M’itu brought a hand up to scratch at his face dismissively, while glancing away to the side. “You’re four, kid, and I’m eight. That’s hardly close in age at all.”

Sami’tan made a little mewling noise, before speaking, “Still! We should uhm, stick together, right?” Sami’tan looked down, his ears drooping, a sad tone filling his voice. “Maybe you could teach me more things. Please? None of the other kids have…” He trailed off. M’itu waited a small moment before realizing he wasn’t gonna continue.

M’itu’s chest filled with a small amount of dread. He wasn’t gonna start crying, was he? He didn’t wanna deal with a crying four year old. He surely didn’t feel guilty though, just dread. At the fact he was gonna make a kid cry. Of course. _ Ah hell. _

“Look,” he started, already berating himself in his head for this, “if I teach you some things, will you feel better?” He didn’t sound pleading, or guilty in the slightest, of course. This was just to make sure he didn’t have to deal with a crying kid. 

Sami’tan whipped his head up, and M’itu noted some shining in his eyes as the kid nodded his head really fast. 

M’itu let out a sigh as if he was an old weary soul. He decided he might as well take the kid somewhere to sit in they’re gonna talk about miqo’te’s. “Come on,” he said, sounding very put upon, “follow me.” He turned around and didn’t look back to see if Sami’tan was following, but he could hear the small scatter of feet rushing to follow him nonetheless. 

He led him back out of the alleys a different way from the markets, deciding that being back here, or there, wasn’t the right place for a four year old. He blinked as he stepped back out into the bright, and busy streets of Ul’dah. This city was always so… yellow, and blinding. Warm inviting colors, that hardly actually felt inviting. Instead he always felt stifled and trapped here, waiting out the days until his life could begin again when his parents came back. The streets were filled to the brim with a diverse bunch of races, and some more Ala Mhigan refugees hanging out to the sides. Just like him, he supposed, though he didn’t feel like the refugees he saw. His parents were very successful merchants, and he had never felt the life he had seen other Ala Mhigans experience. He couldn’t even remember ever being in a war, but his parents do. He felt a sick sorta irony to the fact that they went off again to go fight, because the moon is falling or  _ something _ . He just wanted his parents back, honestly.

“M’itu?” He heard behind him. He blinked, looking back at Sami’tan before snorting and looking in front of him again. The kid had looked concerned, but there was nothing to be concerned about. He glanced around the swarm of people, looking for a place to take Sami’tan, and decided on taking him to one of the fountains nearby. It was off to the side of the main road, and they both were small enough to be able to use the ledge as a seat. 

He easily pulled himself up onto the ledge, and watched as Sami’tan struggled to get his smaller body up there. As he pushed with his arms he almost tipped over completely into the fountain, and would have, if not for M’itu reaching out to grab the back of his tattered shirt and pull him back. “Thank you!” Sami’tan yelled, and M’itu noted he had two really tiny fangs growing, before letting the kid’s shirt go and watching as he toppled over before caught himself and sat up on the ledge properly. M’itu felt himself smirk as the kid spluttered at him. 

It was a bit quieter off to the side here, and M’itu took a moment to close his eyes and lean back a bit as he felt the mist of the fountain. He listened to the sound of splattering water, enjoying the relative peace of it. His peace was distrubed as he heard shifting beside him. He flicked an ear, and then opened his eyes, turning his head to look directly at Sami’tan. The kid had an excited wiggle about him.

“Alright,” M’itu sighed, “what sorta things did you want to know?” 

Sami’tan looked up, clearly thinking, putting a tiny finger up near his mouth. “Uhmmm…” he squinted up at the sky, looking like he was trying to pick what he wanted to ask first. He flicked his ears, before grinning and asking, “why are our names different?”

M’itu flicked his ears. Different? “Of course they’re different, almost everyone has different names.” He wondered how stupid this miqo’te could be. He could understand not knowing stuff about his race because he has a Hyur mother, but this? Rea-

“No, no! I know they’re  _ different _ . I mean, why does your’s start with M’ and mine end with ‘tan? Cat names are weird, I’ve noticed.”

_ Oh,  _ he thought _ , I was the stupid one. _

“It’s miqo’te, kid.” He reminded, in order to make sure Sami’tan didn’t notice his slip up.

“Whatever! Just tell me why.” Sami’tan waved his hand as if knowing what he was called was much less important than knowing things about his race.

“Alright, just don’t complain when you know so much about miqo’te’s but don’t even remember their  _ name _ .” He snarked at Sami’tan, before continuing on. “We’re two different types of miqo’te. I’m from the Seekers of the Sun, while you’re from the Keepers of the Moon.”

Sami’tan stared with wide eyes at M’itu. M’itu waited a pause before realizing Sami’tan was giving him a chance to talk. “Seeker of the Sun miqo’te’s name’s start with the letter that their tribe represents. Keepers of the Moon, however, are more complicated.” He glanced off to the side, hoping that his lack of knowledge would appease Sami’tan regardless. “I haven’t read much on them, since I’m not a Keeper of the Moon. I know that boys are named differently from girls, and that the abbreviation after their name is what number they were born.”

Sami’tan brought a hand up to his mouth, looking deep in thought. “Hmmm… That explains some things…” He wiggled his ears as he thought, before looking back up at M’itu. “What’s my number?”

“I think it’s ten? Meaning you’d be your mom’s tenth son.” He was still rather confused about that one, if he was honest. He doubted Sami’tan had ten brothers hiding around.

“But I’m an only child!” He paused his indignant shout, before gasping, “Unless… My mama has 9 other kids? Oh my gods.” Sami’tan looked down with wide eyes, his world getting rocked right now.

M’itu snorted, “That’s something to ask your mom, kid.”

M’itu placed a hand on his cheek, watching people pass by as Sami’tan had his conniption. If he was honest, sometimes he ideally imagined happening to see his parents walking among those people, and finally getting to go home. He hasn’t been in his actual room in years. He wondered if his house had gotten dusty by now…

“Wait, your tribe is the M’ tribe then?” Sami’tan brought M’itu back out of his thoughts. He turned his head looking back at Sami’tan. He nodded his head, wondering where Sami’tan was going with that.

“Where’s the rest of you guys? I’d love to meet more cats!”

“In Ala Mhigo somewhere, I’d imagine.” He looked back forward. He didn’t remember anything of his tribe, since his parents decided to leave Ala Mhigo when he was only one year old. 

“Oh…” Sami’tan said, sounding disappointed. M’itu imagined if he was looking at him, that his ears and tail and entire demeanor would be droopy. “Well,” he continued, “I’d love to meet them one day! I love meeting new miqo’tes.”

M’itu smiled slightly while he looked away from Sami’tan. So he  _ was _ picking up on things M’itu told him. At least this endeavor wasn’t entirely useless. “There’s not a group of them here, but they’re around. You just have to look for them, really.” 

Sami’tan hummed, and M’itu decided to glance back at him. He was looking up at the sky while his feet dangled off the ledge. “I guess, but they’re all grown up. You’re the first kid I met, and I’m glad I did!” Sami’tan looked back down and smiled wide at M’itu. M’itu huffed and looked back away, but he couldn’t stop his smile from widening slightly.

“Sooo,” he drawled out, to make the weird fluffy feelings pass, “Any other questions?” He wasn’t sure what the kid would throw at him next, but if it pertained to miqo’te’s, his parents had set him up with tons of books about them. There probably wasn’t anything he didn’t know at least a little of.

“Um…” Sami’tan’s voice had a weird edge to it, and M’itu couldn’t place why. He glanced back to see Sami’tan fidgeting. “It doesn’t have to do with miqo’te’s, is that okay?”

M’itu huffed, “I guess? Why, what is it?”

“I wanted to know if you knew anything about… Dalamud? I think that’s it’s name? The grown ups don’t seem to wanna talk to me about it.”

M’itu felt his gut turn. The kid wanted to know about Dalamud? Why? Why could that be any interest to him? M’itu hardly knew anything of it himself, just that it was bad and took his parents away from him- for the time being, that is. He felt his chest tighten up, and then he burned hot with anger.

“That’s nothing you need to know.” He bit out rather harshly, before looking away from Sami’tan. He felt-  _ so _ angry, there was no reason for Sami’tan to bring that up. None at all. 

“I’m sorry,” Sami’tan mumbled. M’itu huffed.  _ He better be, kid has no right to look into things like that.  _ He remained quiet, not really wanting to prompt ideal conversation with the kid anymore. 

He heard Sami’tan shift behind him, then sigh. M’itu didn’t feel bad for him, not at all, but- well, he  _ was _ four. He couldn’t have any idea what sorta thing he was trying to look into. M’itu also sighed, before turning back around. “It’s nothing good, and that’s all there really is to it. Anything else?”

Sami’tan looked back up at M’itu. He looked sombered, but not ready to cry, so that was good. “Uh… Well, I was wonderin-”

“Sami’tan! It’s time to go!”

M’itu flicked his ears, turning to where he learned the shout. Standing there was a Hyur woman, with a hair color not unlike Sami’tan’s, though it was a bit lighter. It also had the same fluffy texture to it. She too, wasn’t wearing the wealthiest of looking clothes, but that didn’t really matter. She was looking up and down the streets for her kid. 

“That’s my mama! I gotta go! I’ll see you later, M’itu!” Sami’tan said this all in a hurry before running off towards the Hyur. She smiled when she saw Sami’tan, and picked him up, and started laughing as he started rattling off to her. M’itu couldn’t hear what he was saying, but he could only imagine it had to do with him. He sighed deeply as he looked away from the scene. He could only hope his parents come back soon. Maybe that’s why he hasn’t gotten any letters? If they were on their way back, it’d be hard to send stuff.

He noted that the sun was getting ready to set, and didn’t realize he had spent so long out already. He glanced back to where he last saw Sami’tan and his mom, but they were already gone. He sighed, got up, stretched, and made his way back to the inn.  _ Alone again _ , he mused, twitching his tail back and forth. Not that he minded. He already didn’t like to bother with friendships,  _ especially _ with four year olds. Plus, he doubted he’d ever see Sami’tan again after this regardless. The city was big, y’know?

\--

After meeting Sami'tan the first time, M'itu kept seeing him over and over again. In random places, too. It’s not like he was looking for the kid, but it’s almost like he kept bumping into him on purpose. He’d keep glancing over him while people watching, and would feel that same stab of annoyance every time he saw the kid, and quickly leave before being seen.

He mostly saw him hanging off of his mother's hand, staring up at her with open adoration. M'itu would scoff every time. He couldn’t say there was anything particularly wrong with Sami’tan. Sure, he was four, and he asked  _ way _ too many questions the first time they talked, but M’itu couldn’t say that he was doing anything bad. In fact, M’itu hadn’t felt terrible after the last time they talked. It felt… good, and he wasn’t sure he liked that feeling that much. That wasn’t who he was, at least not these days. That’s why he was resolved to avoid Sami’tan at all costs.

However, when wandering the back alleys again, he saw Sami'tan alone. He was sitting on a box, his ears drooped, looking down at his feet. M'itu thought he looked really sad… and almost thought he saw the shine of tears on his cheeks. Was he crying? Why would he be crying? When M’itu talked to him the kid seemed to have such an overabundance of positive energy. 

He hadn't been seen yet, and he was resolved to avoid the kid, right? He should be running while he has the chance, but-

"Hey!" he called out instead, watching Sami'tan's brown fluff of hair and ears bounce around as he whipped his head up. Sami'tan blinked, and smiled so wide. He wiped his cheek off (so he  _ was _ crying), before running up, arms waving, mouth opening-

"M'itu!" he practically screamed in M'itu's ear, to which he grimaced before taking a step back from Sami'tan. Sami'tan started telling M'itu all about what he's done since he's last seen him, and- look, his tail grew an ilm, and, by the way, he  _ IS _ an only child, his mama was just silly! M'itu let his thoughts wander as he let Sami'tan ramble.

_ -but,  _ he thought _ , maybe it's not so bad to be the kid's friend. _ He could use the company, he supposed.

\--

After that, M’itu and Sami’tan both resolved to hang out a lot more. It worked out because Sami’tan’s mother had to do a lot of odd end jobs to help afford cash for her and her son, and she always felt so bad leaving Sami’tan alone. When M’itu got to meet her- which he did that, by the way, which was weird in and of itself- she was so happy her little Sami had made a friend. Since he was older, Ada- that’s her name, she refused to let him call her Ms. Jakknya- confessed to him that Sami’tan hasn’t had a great time making friends so far in this city.  _ Well duh _ , M’itu thought when she told him that,  _ this city’s people aren’t exactly welcoming, especially if you look like Ala Mhigan refugees _ . He didn’t say that outloud to her, though. His parents taught him good manners, even if on the inside he wasn’t  _ quite _ as nice.

She was so very thankful that M’itu entertained Sami’tan and very politely asked him if he would keep doing that. “I don’t have anything to give,” she told him, looking genuinely pained at that, “but you're all he keeps talking about, so he really likes you a lot, and it would mean so,  _ so _ much to me if you’d keep playing with him and keeping an eye on him.” She looked down, and her voice took on a sad note. “Other children in this city have been so- cruel. Please, keep him safe.”

M’itu wasn’t sure what exactly to feel when he confessed this all to her, but, he supposed, it couldn’t hurt to be  _ kind _ . Especially when it seemed the world hadn’t been kind to them. 

He  _ also  _ wasn’t sure how to feel about all of this- being Sami’tan’s friend, helping out a family he has no part of. He’s never done anything like this before. It reminded him a lot of the stories he’d heard about new fledgling adventures, running around doing everyone’s random tasks solely for the good of their own  _ hearts _ . That  _ wasn’t _ M’itu, but here he was anyway. He supposed he has something to do- instead of mindlessly walking over the city streets he can only see so many times. It was time to burn while he awaited for his parent’s return.

Plus, it turns out, Sami’tan was- kinda hilarious. M’itu would  _ never _ openly admit it, but hanging out with the kid was fun. Of course, he could do less with getting into borderline trouble, like the time Sami’tan really wanted to try chocobo feed. M’itu didn’t necessarily try to stop him, but he didn’t encourage him either. In order to get some, however, they had to convince the Chocobo Keep that they needed feed. M’itu decided to go with the story that they were raising a baby chocobo, and they ran out of feed before their mother had come home (it was very often M’itu played the both of them off as brother’s, it just… was easier), and that they only needed a handful, so that the baby didn’t starve before then. The Chocobo Keep had looked skeptical, but she handed them some anyway. M’itu couldn’t believe they had really gotten some. They ran away and hid, and then Sami’tan shoved some in his mouth, before spitting it out directly into M’itu’s face. M’itu had given him hell for it, but in hindsight, it was so  _ funny _ .

So although he wasn’t exactly where he pictured himself being a few moons ago, he couldn’t necessarily say being Sami’tan’s friend was a bad thing. It had been a rather fun three moons so far, full of a lot of random chaos courtesy of one Sami’tan Jakknya.

Today he and Sami’tan were supposed to meet up in the place they met. It had become their unspoken meet-up place, seeing as both of them have gone to it everyday so far to hang out. There was never any discussion about it, but somehow he and Sami’tan have started spending every single day together. M’itu glanced around when walking into the alley to realize it was unusually quiet. The people who normally sat here looked tight and uncomfortable. There was an odd, tense feeling in the air. He quickly realized why when he heard a group of older kids laughing.

“Aw, what you gonna do? Run and cry to your mama like you always do?” M’itu listened as the kid sneered. He turned a corner to see a group of kids about his age. Two hyur and an elezen, all of them seemingly grouped around another kid, though M’itu couldn’t see over them to see what that kid looked like. 

He thought he heard a small sniffle before the main kid, a hyur with darkish red and wild hair, continued on. “We told you to leave us alone, so why are ya back, huh? Told you if you kept following us around we’d teach you not to, but here ya are.” 

M’itu was idly enjoying the drama till he heard the other kid talk back, and felt his heart drop. “M- ‘M not here for you, I stayed away- I swear. I was- w-waiting for my friend- please.”

That was Sami’tan. He sounded so scared. Is this what Ada meant when she said they were cruel? Sami’tan was only  _ four _ . Sure, M’itu also had found him annoying and clingy at first but, it didn’t warrant  _ this _ . Sami’tan couldn’t defend himself at all, this wasn’t fair.

The main kid scoffed, “Like we’d believe that! You’re too annoying for anyone to want to truly hang out with you. Can’t you see how unwanted you are? You’re no good help to anyone in this place.” M’itu watched as the other kids nodded and agreed, all of them starting to laugh at Sami’tan.

Sami’tan must have been offended by that, because he replied with heat in his voice, “I do- I have a friend! He cares about me, he- he does! He’s grumpy and mean but he cares! I know it!” 

The hyur kid stopped laughing, and although M’itu couldn’t see his face, he could probably guess that he was glaring at Sami’tan. “Stop lying, kid, it's pathetic.” The kid took a step closer, and M’itu decided it was enough when he heard Sami’tan gasp and start pleading with the kid to be left alone.

He rushed in, grabbing the back of the hyur’s shirt. He yanked backwards, the kid toppling towards him. He quickly turned and swung his other hand right at the kid’s face. It made a satisfying connection, and he smirked as he watched the kid’s eyes widen in fear. He let go of the kid’s shirt and watched him fall onto his butt.

“Ain’t no reason to fight with someone who's half your size, don’t you think? Or are you just too weak to actually be able to contend with people your age.” He started saying, leaning down with his hands on his hips into the kid’s face. “Get out of here, and if you even think ‘bout messing with Sami’tan again, I can do much worse.” 

He watched in satisfaction as the kid and his group scrambled to run away. He stood there with his hands on his hips, smirking, before he felt arms pull around his stomach. He turned around to see Sami’tan pressing his sobbing face into his shirt in a hug. “Thank you, thank you, you’re a hero- '' He heard Sami’tan babble into his shirt. His smirk softened into a smile before he reached around and placed his arm over Sami’tan and his hand onto his head.

“It’s whatever.” He mumbled, ruffling Sami’tan’s hair. 

Sami’tan pulled back from his shirt, staring up at M’itu with a pout on his face. “It’s not ‘whatever’! You saved my life!”

“I wouldn’t go that far.”

“But you did!”

M’itu felt his eyebrow twitching. “Why were they bothering you anyway?” He said briskly, changing the subject. 

At that Sami’tan let go of M’itu’s shirt, and started mumbling, “I dunno, really, I was just waiting for you and they… I dunno.” 

M’itu expression went flat. “Did you do something to annoy them?”

Sami’tan pouted again, “I’d never!”

M’itu just looked at him blankly.

Sami’tan back tracked and sputtered, “I really didn’t this time!” He crossed his arms and looked off to the side. “They were mean…” He mumbled petulantly. 

M’itu sighed, looking at Sami’tan wearily. “Let’s just get you outta here, kid.” He placed a hand on Sami’tan’s back, pushing him towards the exit of the alley way. He believed Sami’tan. Those kids were being cruel just to be cruel. If they were gonna pick fights that had meaning, they’d be picking fights with people their age. 

Sami’tan ran ahead of M’itu, stopping at the entrance of the alley way. He was silhouetted with light on all sides of him shining through. He turned around and smiled wide at M’itu.

“So, what are we doing today?”

“Dunno yet kid,” M’itu responded, but when Sami’tan turned back around, he smiled a private smile. What M’itu didn’t know was this was only the first of many times he’d come to save Sami’tan’s ass.

\--

M’itu and Sami’tan were sitting on a ledge on the outside of Ul’dah. It was nearing the end of the day, so the unrelenting heat was cooling down. They were sat in a shadow casted by the grand city itself. The trees were casting large shadows because of the setting sun. It was mostly quiet, except for the chittering of all sorts of creatures. M’itu appreciated the blends of oranges and yellows and blue all around.

They were outside because Sami’tan really wanted to know more about the creatures that lived in the desert. M’itu decided it really couldn’t hurt to show and teach him, seeing as he was Sami’tan’s unofficial tour guide. 

“What’s that one?” Sami’tan asked, pointing his tiny hand at a grayish brown creature, with a white striped and fluffy tail.

“That one’s a Star Marmot.” 

“It’s kinda cute-”

“Don’t you dare.” M’itu could see him leaning up off the ledge, and grabbed his shirt, making him sit back down. “It may be cute, but it’s dangerous. Like everything else out here.”

Sami’tan pouted at M’itu, sticking his tongue out, before turning back and watching the marmot. 

M’itu watched Sami watch the marmot, and felt a tightness in his chest. It had been about four moons since he first met Sami’tan, and honestly, to say Sami’tan had grown on him would be an understatement. He’ll never admit it, but he actually sees Sami’tan as the little brother he never had. The kid was objectively cute, and got away with more than M’itu would like to admit because of his fondness for him. It was almost weird to think that they hadn’t known each other their entire lives, and only met four moons ago. 

As M’itu reflected on this, he failed to notice Sami’tan getting fidgety. “Hey, um- ’itu?” He asked, not looking directly at him.

M’itu blinked, wondering what new question Sami’tan had now, and why he’d be nervous to ask it. “What is it, kid?”

Sami’tan fidgeted with his fingers, still refusing to look at M’itu.”Uhm- My mom…” He trailed off, looking down at the ground.

M’itu felt his heart lurch, hoping she was okay. “Your mom? She alright?”

“Yeah, she’s- Yeah she’s alright-” He nodded, still looking incredibly tense, “It’s just that, she… told me we’d be moving.” He finished his sentence off quickly, and then hunched over closing his eyes.

“She- Oh.” M’itu said, as he felt like the world grinded to a stop. Sami’tan- could leave? And was leaving? He honestly never pictured that being something that could happen. That was allowed to happen? “Okay… I see.” He said mindlessly, as he turned and stared out at Ul’dah again.

“Are you… mad?” Sami’tan asked quietly.

“No I’m… not mad.” M’itu mumbled, his shoulders hunching up as he leaned over, placing his arms onto his knees. He shouldn’t be mad. He stared unseeing at the ground, then asked, “When are you leaving?”

“Within this moon, she said…” Sami’tan’s voice sounded pathetically sad, and M’itu felt his ears droop as he processed this.

Sami’tan was leaving- Was going to leave him- M’itu felt angry, his chest burning bright hot and his fist clenched in his lap. Then as quickly as the heat came, it melted, as he realized he had no right to be angry. This wasn’t Sami’tan’s decision, he wasn’t leaving him on purpose. Not to mention this family was never his to begin with. He was just a stranger entertaining a single mother’s child. No matter how close to Sami’tan he was, no matter how much it felt like they were supposed to be friends, he couldn’t keep him here. Even if he had the option to go with them, which he honestly almost did want to go, he couldn’t. If his parents came back to a missing child they’d be worried sick, and he misses them so much... He wouldn’t want to miss their return because of some four year old.

They both quietly sat there, as the sun set further and Ul’dah got colder and colder. 

“My mom is probably gonna be looking for me…” Sami’tan mumbled, and M’itu shook himself, and decided to try to hide how he felt, even if his stomach felt like an empty cold pit at the moment. 

“You’re right, let’s go find her and get you home, kid.” M’itu stood up, and started walking back towards the towering gate, not looking to see if Sami’tan was following. He could hear his rustling steps behind him regardless. He stared up ahead, into the giant city he felt trapped in only four moons ago, and realized with a sinking feeling, his life was going to go back to how it was.

_ Well, this sucks. _

\--

Life attempted to continue on as normal. Sami’tan and M’itu still met up everyday and hung out, but the time that M’itu shared with Sami’tan had lost its shine. Everything felt dull, as dull as it felt before he met Sami’tan. It was hard to let himself enjoy anything with the looming thoughts of Sami’tan leaving. He didn’t want Sami’tan to leave. He didn’t want  _ this _ . 

He tried to hide his feelings- he was never one to be emotional anyway. He thought he had a good handle on it too, thought that he kept it under wraps, until he realized he didn’t.

It had been about nine days, give or take, since Sami’tan told him he’d be leaving. They didn’t really plan to do anything anymore- just sat around the fountain they first met at. Sami’tan was subdued, and quiet, so there was never much conversation going on, since M’itu was never one to start up anything. He played it off as disinterest, and maybe it really was at first, but now that Sami’tan was so quiet, the silence felt overbearing. He had no idea how to fix it, either. So they just sat. Sat and watched.

M’itu kept his gaze forward, but he never paid attention to what he saw. His mind was so far off from what was happening, he didn’t pay attention to his surroundings- to Sami’tan. He suddenly felt his arm get grabbed roughly and he jumped and turned to look at Sami’tan who-- was staring back at him, tears in his eyes, anger visible on his face. 

“What- Are you okay?” He asked, shocked. Sami’tan gripped his shirt’s sleeve harder in his fist, before looking down and pressing his head into M’tiu’s arm. 

Sami’tan hiccuped, making a soft sob noise, before opening his mouth and taking a deep breath. M’itu didn’t hear him speak, just felt him close his mouth and shake his head, before he started to sob harder. 

M’itu looked down at him, feeling conflicted. Does he console him? Soothe him? He probably should but… He looked around, looking to see if anyone was paying them any mind, before cautiously putting his hand on Sami’tan’s back. Sami’tan hiccuped and sobbed harder, rubbing his face into M’itu’s arm. 

M’itu lightly rubbed his back, feeling awkward. He didn’t get it, didn’t understand. “Why are you crying, what’s happening?” He asked him again, and this time Sami’tan took a few deep heaving breaths, before pulling his head back up to look at M’itu. M’itu distantly noted that Sami’tan didn’t let go of his shirt sleeve.

“You-” He started, before taking a shaky breath, “-you hate me.” He finished off by starting to sob again, but still looking at M’itu. “You hate me, you’re mad, I’m sorry.” His tears started to fall harder, and he shook his head repeatedly saying, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

M’itu blinked, then shook his head. “I don’t hate you. I don’t know why you think I do.” He still really didn’t understand. What brought this about, why Sami’tan believed that.  _ Sami’tan _ was leaving, moving away. This shouldn’t be his problem anymore. He shouldn’t have to deal with these feelings.

Sami’tan gripped his shirt tighter, before saying, “You do! You act different. You don’t- don’t hav’ to.” Sami’tan ended his words by going back to sobbing.

M’itu felt his brows lower, and felt a slight anger fill his belly at that. Of course it was different. Everything  _ was  _ different. Sami’tan was going to leave him. It’s not his fault that everything changed. He shouldn’t have to deal with this.

“It’s different, though. Everything’s different.” He shook his head, then pried Sami’tan’s hand off his shirt. Sami’tan looked up at him, his expression angry and upset. He looked so upset, but M’itu kept going. “You’re leaving, I don’t know what you want from me. Forgive me, I guess, if I’m not sunshine and everything nice.”

“I don’t-'' Sami'tan muttered, before raising a fist, and hit M’itu’s side as hard as he could, shouting, “I don’t care! You- you’re my friend. You’re my friend, M’itu. I don’t want to lose you-” His voice lost all it’s anger, and he quietly continued, as he slumped over, “I don’t want to lose you. I don’t want to leave…” 

M’itu almost wanted to be angry. If he was angry, it’d be easier to put everything with Sami’tan behind him. If he closed him off, it wouldn’t hurt as bad when he left. If he cut him off now, he wouldn’t have to watch him walk out the gate, and never come back. Instead he felt pity. He pitied Sami’tan. He pitied him, and he cared about him, and considered him family. Considered him something important. He wanted to close him off, to forget him, so that he wouldn’t hurt, but he couldn’t. Even if he could just forget him, it wasn’t fair to Sami’tan.

M’itu sighed, and put his hand back on Sami’tan’s back, and started rubbing it. He took a deep breath, swallowed, and then decided to bare his heart for him. “I don’t want you to leave either,” He muttered, looking away from Sami’tan’s face as he said this. “I don’t-'' He sighed, before continuing. “I won’t say this, ever again, but you’re… like a little brother to me. I don’t  _ want _ you to leave. And I definitely don’t hate you.” He felt awkward, like there was a surging pressure moving under his skin and into his stomach. “But you have to leave, and before you say it, I can’t go with you.” He saw Sami’tan open his mouth, and he was afraid to hear Sami’tan ask, because it’d be harder to say no. “My parents went off to help in the fight against the garleans. I haven’t heard from them in awhile, and I need to be here when they come back.” 

He had never told Sami’tan that before, never felt like it was important for him to know. He watched as Sami’tan processed that, quietly wiping his tears from his eyes, before nodding. “I’m sorry,” he muttered again, before hugging M’itu, burying his body into his. M’itu hugged him back, rubbing his hand on Sami’tan’s back as he sat there holding M’itu.

Whatever happened now, M’itu would never be able to forget the young miqo'te he met in Ul’dah, that was for sure.

\--

Only four days had passed since their fight when it was time to say goodbye to Sami’tan. M’itu had woken up that morning in his little inn room, and had laid in his bed for some time just staring at the ceiling before he got up and got ready to meet Sami’tan at the gate. He cleaned himself up in his basin, got on his clothes, and walked out as if it was a normal day. The inn-keep gave him a weird look when he walked out, and M’itu wondered if maybe his despair was showing on his face. He kept walking though, knowing if he let himself stop and think about anything it would be that harder to get himself to go.

He walked down the main street, and it was like he could feel the normalcy return to his life with every step he took. As much as he acted like he wanted things to be normal, he was deeply unnerved by having to go back. He made it to the gate, saw a chocobo carriage waiting, and decided to lean up against the wall in the shadows as he waited for Sami’tan and his mother to show up.

He had stood there for maybe a few hours, thinking about nothing and everything at once before he heard Sami’tan’s mom call out to the carriage rider, thanking him for waiting for long. He looked up to see Sami’tan standing beside his mother as always, holding onto the end of her dress. He was looking around, and M’itu could see the moment Sami’tan saw him because he smiled softly, before walking over.

“Hey.” Sami’tan said, his greeting very much unlike his normal boisterous ones.

“Hey.” M’itu replied, moving himself off from the wall.

They both stood there awkwardly silent, before Sami’tan pouted, grabbing a hold of M’itu’s middle and hugging him tight. M’itu felt the breath get knocked out of him, before he grabbed a hold of Sami’tan and hugged him back just as hard. 

They stood there holding each other before M’itu whispered, “I’m gonna miss you, Sami.” He felt Sami’tan squeeze him harder in response, nodding his head into M’itu’s chest, before pulling back. 

“I’m gonna miss you too ‘itu, so, so much.” Sami’tan spoked, his voice sounding somewhat watery. 

M’itu reached up and ruffled Sami’tan’s hair. “Come on now kid, don’t cry.” He said, even though he felt a small tingling in his eyes as if he was gonna cry. 

Sami’tan shook his head, before wiping his eyes. “Okay,” He said, nodding, taking a deep breath. “Okay.” 

M’itu almost wanted to say,  _ hey, we’d surely meet again _ , but he knew that was incredibly unlikely. He hadn’t even asked Sami’tan where he was going, not really wanting to know because it would be that much harder to keep himself from uprooting his life for a four year old. His gaze softened though as he looked down at this young miqo'te. He’d never really had a real friend like this before, someone he calls his little brother in his head. It sucked to let that go, but he knew he had too.

As it was, they both stood there together, M’itu lightly petting Sami’tan’s head as he held onto M’itu’s clothes, before hearing Ada call over her son.

Sami’tan took a step back from M’itu, the tears in his eyes once again, and if M’itu felt pin pricks in his tear ducts, that was his business. They stared at each other for a small moment, before Sami’tan put his hand out. M’itu stared at it briefly, before grabbing a hold and shaking Sami’tan’s hand. Sami’tan smiled at him, tears falling down his cheeks, before turning and walking back to his mom.

M’itu watched them climb up onto the carriage, Sami’tan leaning out the side and staring at M’itu. He watched as the chocobos started running, and watched as Sami’tan waved. He watched the carriage disappear into the distant desert heat, and he watched the edges of Thanalan start to grow dark with the setting sun. Once he finally saw stars twinkling, he moved, feeling his body creak from standing in one place for so long, and made his way back to his inn.

\--

When M’itu had made it back to the inn, the inn-keep stopped him at the door.

“You’re out, kid.” He had said, gruff, handing M’itu a letter addressed to him.

M’itu blinked, completely confused, before opening the letter. Inside the letter wrote:

_ “M’itu Tia, we regret to inform you that your parents have perished during the war.” _

M’itu didn’t read the letter any further, as he felt the whole world drop from beneath him. He took a step back, letting the letter fall to the ground. He stared down at it, at his hands, numb, before he felt his stomach rearing. 

_ I have to get out of here _ , he thought, before stumbling and running away from the inn, running away from that street, running away until he stopped and found himself at the spot where he had first met Sami’tan, in the back alley streets of the Sapphire District.

There he stopped, felt his legs collapse under him, and he dry heaved before the tears broke from his eyes and he started sobbing into the night. 

\--

Nine years later.

\--

It had been a very long nine years since the day Sami’tan left. Ul’dah had stayed the same- well, if you count the same meaning everything has changed and a moon has  _ fallen _ then, yeah, it’s the same. More or less. It turns out Dalamud wasn’t even a moon, but apparently was containing an  _ elder primal,  _ and now they were in this weird time period where no one was really sure what was going to happen, but things were going. 

M’itu’s life hadn’t actually been affected by the 7th Umbral Calamity much, but it had changed, quite a lot, in fact. First off, he was 17 now, and going by a completely different name. Some… unfortunate things had happened, and he decided he wanted an anonymous identity. So, he was going by Health Care now. 

Along with his name change, he was idly studying the arts of conjuring, but hadn’t actually committed to learning anything. Just some healing spells… just in case, you know? 

He had stayed in Ul’dah, orphaned at 8, he hadn’t really had anywhere else to go. He met some friends, lost some friends, he didn’t have anything he was notably attached to. He stopped letting himself become attached, knowing all too well just how quick your attachments can leave. He hung out in the refugee’s district more often than not. It was where he slept, what he loosely called a home. Other than that, not much had changed. Not really.

Today was an overcast day, the weather being off from usual due to the after effects of Dalamud. He was walking on the outskirts of the Sapphire District, knowing that sometimes people would hand food to younger looking refugees. Although, reaching 17 now, he really didn’t look young anymore. If anything, he was just doing his rounds to do them. 

He dipped into the alley way that headed back into what he loosely called his home, and stopped short. Sitting there, on a pile of boxes, was a young miqo’te. The miqo’te looked to be about 12, maybe 13? But what stopped Health was the miqo’te’s hair. He had to be losing it, but he swore that was the same hair color as-

_ No, don’t be ridiculous _ , he scoffed to himself, making to walk past this sad, lonely looking miqo’te. He couldn't help but glance as he walked past thought, and stumbled because he could have sworn that was the same face, albeit older. 

His stumbling caught the attention of this miqo’te, who looked up at Health, staring at him with bright eyes. Eyes that were blue and green in color. Eyes that could only be-

“Sami’tan?!” He said, not even realizing he was going to say it before he did. He blinked at the miqo’te, who blinked back, equally as shocked.

Health watched as the miqo’te opened and closed their mouth several times, before they looked down, seemingly thinking. They were quiet, before gasping, rushing to stand up and grabbing Health’s face. Health stood stock still as this miqo’te turned his head back and forth, before taking in another quick breath and hugging Health around his chest.

Health was certain this had to be Sami’tan by now, so he hugged back equally as hard, never in his life expecting to get to do that again. He felt dizzy, overwhelmed, but he took a deep breath and knew. Knew this was his best friend.

“Sami’tan,” he whispered, still holding onto Sami’tan, getting incredibly close to crying. Sami’tan already was crying, he could feel his shirt getting wet.

Sami’tan pulled back, staring up at Health with wide shining eyes, and the biggest smile on his face. “It’s you- it’s really you- M-”

“No wait-” Health cut him off, before continuing, “I go by Health Care now.”

Sami’tan stared at him blankly, before saying, “You go by  _ what _ .”

“Health Care,” He said, indignantly, before following up with, “don’t laugh!” as he saw Sami’tan’s mouth start to lift up at the edges. It didn’t matter though, because Sami’tan started laughing his ass off, and Health watched him, frowning, wishing he could cross his arms but Sami’tan was still holding onto him hard, like if he let go Health would disappear. Health couldn’t really fault him for that, because he was quickly realizing he never wanted Sami’tan to leave his field of vision ever again.

Sami’tan kept laughing, heaving breathlessly, before whipping his eyes with the back of his hand. “God- thank you for that.” He muttered, following up with, “I haven’t felt this happy since mom died.”

Health blinked, feeling his stomach drop out. “She- what?” He swallowed before asking, “Are you okay?” He couldn’t believe it, but then again, the world was way too cruel for anything to be just a happy accident. That must be why Sami’tan was here in the first place.

Sami’tan shook his head, before smiling softly at Health. “Don’t worry, it’s a long story. I’ll tell you later. For now…” He trailed off, before sticking his hand out, “It’s nice to meet you Health Care.” He smiled warmly, tears still shining on his face as he closed his eyes and tilted his head.

Health blinked, shaking his head, before taking Sami’tan’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you again, Sami’tan.” 

They shook their hands, before both started laughing, walking down between the streets of Ul’dah as if they hadn’t ever even been apart once. They talked about everything, both of them glossing over the sadder parts of being orphaned in Eorzea for now, and Health realized that- maybe there was something for him. Maybe he could have this, just this once. He had his best friend, and maybe that was enough.


End file.
